BFX Series Amps

Hi, i'm jon, i am new. anyways, i flippin through a catalog and i found this cool lookin BFX series amps , by Crate. I was wonderin if anyone ones one of these, or cool tell me if they are quality , good, ect. See the reason they looked cool to me ( i wouldn't totaly know, i am new to the bass as well, i got mine on June, 30, this year, my birthday) is that they have like built in effects, cool. so if anyone could respond to me on this that would be cool, also, i just thought of this, are effects better like if you get a pedal? or better like on an amp, any response would be appreciated, thanks,

I have the BFX-100 bass amp. When I first saw it, I was really impressed with the effects so I bought it right away. However, I soon realized that it wasn't very practical (for me anyways). Of course, the delay effect is fun because if I set it right I can sound like Victor Wooten when I play slap bass, HA!
The effects are also fun to get the creative process going and to hear your lines in different ways. I have actually written some cool lines with the help of the effects, but never actually used the effects when my band played the songs.

All in all, its a solid amp, the balanced line out in the back is nice to hook up to a PA (if you have a loud band the 100 watts my not be enough) and the effects are fun to play with but may not always be practical. I hope my 2 cents helps you or anyone else wondering.

I have had my BFX50 for a bit under two years now and by and large it has been a very adequete (sp?)
home practice amp.I am going to take her in to the nearest service center soon though....she has been cutting out during playing and making some strange popping noises,etc.Since the warrenty is still in force I am not overly concerned.It will be more of a hassel than anything else.

The built-in effects aren't so hot, I have used a BFX-50 extensively and wasn't impressed. That said, get the BX-100. 15" speaker, 100 watts, loud enough for practice or small gigs, and no cheesy effects in sight. You can find 'em cheap on eBay. It also has 8-band EQ and an XLR line out with a volume control, which is pretty helpful for recording or going out to a PA. Good amp, only problem I ever had with it was a bad input jack, which is what it sounds like Usul is describing. Seems to be a pretty prevalent problem with Crate bass amps, but don't let that discourage you, it is an easily fixed problem. Good luck, and welcome to the dark side.... (er... bass side? or maybe low end?)

I`ll have to agree with iplaybass re: the onboard fx of the crate bfx series.I don`t think I have used when playing a song.They were novel for about 30 mins or so when I bought it...after that....zzzzzz.
I think you are correct on the input jack iplaybass...I am continually having to tighten the outer portion of mine.Guess my big 5 year warrenty can worry bout that when I take her in for service,eh?

Hehe, sure can. I got mine secondhand, so I didn't have the luxery. If you open the amp and pull the head out, you can resolder the jack and never have problems again. You might ask the techies who are working on your amp to do this(and put on gobs of solder while they're at it).

... What you're going to use it for... As a practice amp? (should be fine for that) ...With a band (eh.. ok, but there are certainly better choices)

The BFX50 goes for a little under $300 (U.S. dollars, street price). There are better alternatives at that price (and I'm sure others here at TB will chime in with their recommendations).

If you can, go to a few local stores and play every amp in your price range. THEN play some that are out of your price range so you can get a true comparison of what sounds good vs. what doesn't.

BTW... Don't get caught up in the "effects" hype... Effects are fun to play around with, but you probably wouldn't use them much while seriously playing, and choosing an amp because of the built-in effects is kind of like buying a car because of the stereo that comes with it.

i actually got the bfx to help justify getting an expensive bass. it would've been odd having a $1400 instrument with a $180 practice amp.

in retrospect, i would have waited a bit longer so that i could have gotten a butt-kicking (mini) rig that would be about as much as my bass.

i wanted a great bass more than i wanted a great amp, but in actuality, i "need" both.

(if i told you that i got my crate before me spector, i must have not been thinking straight. but i may have been saying that i wish i got an ass kicking amp before a 'kicking bass instead of an "OK" amp, then bass, then awesome amp).

back to the crate. the 100 watt'er does what it's supposed to...but i think you can get a little better than it.

Side comment: Used the BFX-50 in a band practice situation, and unfortunately it sent me scrambling home for my BX-100. The 15" speaker is nice to have, louder than you think. Good for band practice, SMALL gigs. BX and BFX-50 are only good for home practice situations. They do this decently. Check eBay, there are always several for sale there. If you have the extra cash, listen to bassbrobrad and get a Nemesis 2x10 combo. Great gear, great price. I have one of their 2x10 cabs, and it is very clean.